Shooter fans are bringing their best and worst habits into Titanfall

If we’re being reductive, it’s easy to write off Titanfall as a sci-fi Call of Duty. After all, Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment was founded by COD veterans Jason West and Vince Zampella. The speed of the gameplay, responsiveness of the controls, and the way you level up are all reminiscent of COD, yet, hardcore vets of that series may be some of the most ill-equipped Titanfall players out there. In a lot of ways, Halo fans may be better equipped for this new shooter. To illustrate the point, here are the best and worst habits I’ve seen in Titanfall players and the games they probably came from.

Call of Duty Players

Best Habit – You Call of Duty kids are beasts when it comes to outgunning the competition and maintaining that much-sought-after kill/death ratio. You’re likely getting Titans out on the field faster than anyone, and when it comes to close quarters combat you’re unstoppable. In an Attrition match, I want you on my team.

Worst Habit – If there is a flag to capture or a hardpoint to defend, you’re next to useless. Sorry guys, but your kill count means nothing if our team still loses the match. Yes, I get it, while all those other schmucks are focusing their attention on flags and special spots on the ground, you’re racking up the kills on distracted opponents. I get it, but it drive me nuts.

Battlefield Players

Best Habit – In Hardpoint Domination, you’re my people. There’s a reason Battlefield fans coined the motto “PTFO” or “Play the F***ing Objective.” You guys make sure we hold a majority of the points, even if that means throwing away your killcount in the process. You’re also at home in Titanfall’s mid-sized multiplayer maps, where you’ll happily jump between close quarters and long-range sniping.

Worst Habit – In BF4, you’re probably used to squading up with four friends and sticking together. You’re but one cog in a 32-soldier team, and your squad stays close so that you can help each other out. In Titanfall, that five-person squad represents almost your entire team. My point? Titanfall requires more independence than BF players are probably used to. You have to play the objective, and sometimes you have to do it without a buddy laying down suppressing fire.

Halo Players

Best Habit – If I know my Halo fans like I think I do, then I know you were up on rooftops reigning death from above within seconds of playing Titanfall. The first thing you did was wallrun, take higher ground, and laugh at all the fools using their feet for walking. For you, the ground is lava, and your use of every inch of the map is what gives you a leg up. You’re also not too shabby when it comes to using all your tools, driving Titans around, and playing objectives.

Worst Habit – Your problem is failing to realizing you’re not a Spartan. You probably run into situations you can’t live through more often than other players, taking on Titans and multiple pilots only to realize you don’t have a recharging shield to save you. Either way, get over that one issue and you’re a force to be reckoned with.

Gears of War Players

Best Habit – When it comes to self-preservation, you guys are the kings. You know when to take cover, when to engage the enemy, and when it’s safe to go in guns blazing. In a game with only six players per team, your ability to pick and choose your battles and stay in the fight is a huge boon.

Worst Habit – You’re used to moving at a snails pace, and the “jump button” is some long-forgotten relic from other games. The mobility in Titanfall is the “special sauce” just as Gears of War had its cover system, so you understand that, but you probably spend your time on the ground floor a little bit longer than others.

All in all, I’d make the case that its the Halo fans you want fighting by your side in Titanfall. More importantly, though, these good and bad habits illustrate an important point: Titanfall may look, feel, and smell like your favorite shooter, but it's definitely its own thing. Learn to adapt to this new, jumpy-shooty-robot-stompy FPS or you’ll be letting your team down.

Video games became an amazing, artful, interactive story-driven medium for me right around when I played Panzer Dragoon Saga on Sega Saturn. Ever since then, I've wanted to be a part of this industry. Somewhere along the line I, possibly foolishly, decided I'd rather write about them than actually make them. So here I am.

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